The crime statistics for 2014 paint a gruesome picture of the law and order scenario in Leon County, FL. Through 2014, a mammoth 5000 plus criminal complaints were registered with the local police. The criminal acts ran the gamut; from vehicle thefts and burglaries to aggravated assault and rape along with a shockingly high number of homicides.
The last in a string of murders occurred New Year’s Eve when a 17 year old student of Godby High was shot to death. The growing number of criminal incidents points to the fact that the police are simply not doing enough to control the crime situation in the area.
Unlike Leon County, crime figures have plunged in the remaining 49 counties of Florida. In fact, overall, the crime rates are at a 44 year low throughout the state with a drop of at least 5% seen across all crime categories and in all areas.
In striking contrast to these encouraging figures, Leon County Sheriff’s Department reported an increase of 7% in the number of criminal incidents being reported. These figures are just as terrible as they were a decade ago. In more bad news for the residents, the most significant rise was seen in the number of violent felonies such as homicide and forcible sexual assault.
Some people may argue that the 17 murders reported in Leon County, between 2013 and 2014, seem paltry when compared to the 200 plus homicides that occurred in Miami-Dade County. However, the population of Miami-Dade is 9 times greater than that of Leon.
Factor this in and the crime scenario of Leon County does indeed look worrisome. The Sheriff of Leon County, Mike Wood acknowledges that the growth in sexual offenses is alarming but he still maintained that Leon County and Tallahassee, which is one of the hotbeds of such criminal incidents, are safe. He also said that at this point, the priority for the police department is to forge partnerships with community members to tackle crimes at the street level.